Welcome back for Term 2!
We have had one staff change for this term, with Miss Leah Annesley commencing leave and Miss Merissa Nandlall moving in to Boornar 2. Ms Helen Wilmot is welcomed into our Science and Technologies team. We wish Miss Annesley all the best as she looks forward to the joys and challenges of being a new parent.
In a school year of 40 weeks, terms average ten weeks. Following a short Term 1, Term 2 has eleven weeks with two public holidays – ANZAC Day holiday on Monday, April 26th and WA Day holiday on Monday, June 7th. We have a School Development Day on Friday, June 4th making this a four-day weekend for our students.
For kindy parents, terms out of the ‘usual’ can be confusing and disruptive to family routines. Kindergarten groups are allocated alternate Wednesdays, with Koolbardi 1a, 2 & 6a attending on odd weeks (Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) and Koolbardi 1b & 2b attending on even weeks (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10). As Term 2 has an odd number of weeks, Koolbardi 1a & 2a will attend on the last Wednesday this term and again the first Wednesday next term. Please refer to your term planner to confirm which Wednesdays your Kindy child attends and if you have any questions, check with their teacher or the front office.
It was disappointing that our school was targeted by vandals over the school holidays. Please keep an eye out for suspicious activity on or around the school grounds and report it to the Police on 131 444 or Education Security on 1800 177 777.
Although our courts are school property, we leave them unlocked for the community to use outside of school hours. In 2019, Bertram became the first primary school in WA to be granted funds by Tennis Australia to resurface our courts. An unfortunate side effect of the blue and green surface is that skid marks left by bikes are very obvious. Over the holidays I spoke to a group of children who were encouraging each other to ‘lay rubber’. Please remind your children to respect school property and to leave their bikes outside the gate of the courts if they are playing there outside of school hours.
Today we held our Anzac Ceremony, attended by Year 3 – 6 students. Anzac Day is a time for all Australians to recognise the more than 1.5 million service men and women who have served our country in all conflicts, wars and peacekeeping operations. It's also a time to remember the more than 102,000 Australians who sacrificed their lives in our country's name. We appreciate the contribution of the City of Kwinana, Kwinana RSL and Bertram Primary P&C to this significant event in our school calendar and are proud of the leadership our student councillors demonstrated in hosting our Anzac Ceremony.
This week, Australian Red Cross delivered an interactive and informative incursion for our Year 6 classes, teaching students about refugees and people seeking asylum around the world and in Australia. During the In Search of Safety program, students had the chance to imagine what it would be like to flee their homes quickly through an engaging simulation, and to hear from children their age about their experiences of seeking safety. This was a great opportunity for students to learn about human rights and why people need protection.
During Weeks 4 & 5 (Tuesday, May 11th – Friday, May 21st), our Year 3 and 5 students will participate in NAPLAN testing in Writing, Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy. These assessments will be completed online using school iPads with the exception of Year 3 Writing which is a pencil and paper test. I encourage you to go to the NAPLAN Public Demonstration site and have a ‘play’.
Completing an assessment online requires our students to think differently to when they are gaming or interacting with other content. Many children have become accustomed to getting a visual or sound cue if they give an incorrect answer so may not take care to answer accurately the first time. Teachers have been concentrating on problem solving strategies and the use of working out paper, especially in Mathematics. If you are solving problems with your children at home, verbalise your thought processes to assist them to develop these skills.
Thank you for your continued support.
Jane Weir
Acting Principal
